Game of the Year !

Oh my goodness!!! Raiders win! Raiders win!

The girls and I just had a great day together ( Knox is hanging out with Uncle Jim and Aunt Becky), which ended with a most exciting night. We fully enjoyed all 4 quarters of the Tech/UT game.

We "tailgated" in the family room. We had a picnic dinner and setup lawn chairs and blankets. We wore our Tech shirts. We shouted and whooped and hollered and got our guns up. We ate a 2nd half popcorn snack. We called Uncle Kemp a couple times.

Shelby and Jerzy were excited most of the time... but started to poop out towards the end. I went nuts when Crabtree scored the winning TD. Shelby was tired and started to cry " Mama you're scaring me." So I toned it down a bit. Andrew is in the middle of nowhere ( near Tulsa) at a vintage bike rally-- so I gave him regular updates via phone.

Wow - amazing! Sorry to Dad, and all my other Longhorn family and friends! We'll enjoy this win as long as we can....who knows what the next two wknds will bring for the Red Raiders against OSU and OU!?! Hopefully the amazing combo of Harrell and Crabtree can stay strong. And how 'bout Matt Williams....the kicker , who up until recently was just another student in the stands!

Way to go!

Getting fired up for a "Wild Ride" with Kenny Chesney pre-game.

Jerzy took this picture of Shelby and I! Guns' up!

This was late in the 2nd quarter...the girls were getting a little silly.

He Did It!!!!

Andrew completed his first marathon! Wow! We are so proud!

He and Joe ran past some of the scenic sites of the DC area, including Arlington Cemetery, as they completed the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon. The kids and I were able to track them online from home ( a yellow dot and a green dot) on a map as they ran. Around mile 19 he was calling us and other family for some motivation. The kids serenaded him with cheers of "Go Daddy Go!!! " He was slated to finish just under 6 hours, but he held up during the last 1/2 mile and waited for his big bro so they could finish together. Their offical time was 6hours , 32 minutes and 44 seconds.

I spoke with him a short while ago as they were just sitting , still at the course, resting and reveling in their accomplishment. Pictures will be coming soon.

Next up on the circuit, an "easy" and fun 10k run at the Turkey Trot here in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

Another Milestone

In the last few weeks we've reached a milestone ---there are more Tokarz kids OUT of diapers than IN diapers! Jerzy is officially , completely , fully potty trained. I can hardly believe it. It sort of snuck up on me. There have been points in the last couple years that I felt I would be changing multiple diapers for years. But time sure flies.Now more of our household budget goes to toilet paper instead of diapers!!!

Balloon Festival

Last week we took the kids to the Plano Balloon Festival. We took a picnic of their favorite cheeseburgers and watched the balloons launch. Shelby was quite excited....I think she was more excited about Knox being able to see the balloons. She kept telling him "Knox- look! See the red balloon?! Knox-look! See the BIG balloon!?!"...Knox-LOOK!!"

We had our first privilege of taking 2 girls into a port-a-potty at the same time.Andrew tried to keep one of them with him, ,concerned at how I would manage with 2 of them in there at the same time, without one of them falling in or contracting some sort of rare disease.But no they both wanted to go. Thank God for wipes and antibacterial hand gel!!!

Shelby HAD to go, so she had no problem using it. However, Jerzy who insisted she had to go too, refused as soon as we opened the door. She just wasn't too sure about that "big potty." And they both asked, "where do you flush it?"

The balloon fest is always fun, especially with kids. I took some pictures, but Shelby is obsessed with the camera and taking pictures so she got some shots too.

These are two balloon pictures that Shelby took.

Hangin out with Daddy...watching the balloons take off.

Best buddies.

Knox was too interested in watching the balloons fly away to pose for picture.

Catfish King and Princesses

Andrew and the girls have a new pasttime...FISHING!! We have a small stocked pond behind our house. The first few weeks we were here we watched neighborhood kids come down to fish, thinking we should try that. Well one wknd trip to Target we stopped by the outdoor section and picked up a Barbie fishing rod and a Disney Princess rod. That very day , using pepperoni and chicken nuggets for bait, Andrew and the girls caught 2 catfish,few bass and a few perch.

Shortly after that, we stopped by Target again to get Andrew his own pole. However, they seem to have most luck with the girls' rods. Mostly they go out after dinner or early morning.

Jerzy mostly watches, then will reel it in when it's time. Shelby can bait her own hook , cast her own line and reel it in. Now sometimes she loses confidence or just gets lazy and asks mommy or daddy to cast it. Knox watches...but also tries to help. No one has fallen in yet.

Andrew has caught one or two turtles. Of course he always returns the fish and turtles to the water.

If you come for a visit, make sure to bring your pole!! We always have chicken or pepperoni on hand for bait!

Catching Up

Hello all. We have been busy this past month ( who hasn't?!) , we have some pictures to show for it, but not a ton. I started my new full-time job as a high school teacher, the kids started their new life as full-time preschool students. Andrew has been working hard at home and on the road. He is also running A LOT as his marathon is only one month away. We are still settling in to the new house. In between all this we have all been sick, at least two times or more for some of us. But we are surviving and having fun too.

Knox's Trip to the Salon

We took Knox for his first real haircut a couple weeks ago. He was getting to be one shaggy dude.

It was cute-- but he needed to be cleaned up before school started. So I took him to see Karina, who cuts my hair and does the girls' hair. He was not a happy guy, but we made it through.

He cried and squirmed, but he didn't scream. The girls' did their best to entertain and distract him. Shelby even tried holding his hand. Fortunately , it didn't take too long. We kept some of the curls in back, but he definitely looks more like a little boy, than a baby now.

Shaggy and snotty a few days before his haircut.

You'd think we were torturing the kid--Shelby was very sweet trying to hold her brother's hand. The girls also picked "Shrek 3" ( one of their favorites) to entertain Knox in DVD player at the salon, but he never sat still to watch it.

All cleaned up- what a big boy!